period: Detective Dee: … the Phantom Flame

Detective Dee: the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is about to be crowned the first Empress in China despite opposition from Tang officials. When officials mysteriously erupt into flames Wu restores Dee to his position as royal detective and charges him with solving the case of the phantom flame.

Dee finds that the assassins used used arrows containing fire beetle poison that ignites upon contact with sunlight, kills the main conspirator, and warns the Empress of a rebellion. In gratitude agrees to Dee’s request that she promise to be a just ruler and to return power to the Tang Dynasty imperial family line after her reign is over.

But Dee has been contaminated by the fire beetle poison in the struggle; he resigns his commission and retires into the Phantom Bazaar where there is no sunlight.